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TAG: campaign

• songspeak

  Foo Fighters’ hero: NOT John McCain

  posted by songspeak | 10.09.08 | permalink | comment?

  

  John McCain’s campaign has been using the Foo Fighters song, “My Hero” at rallies without the band’s permission.

  “It’s frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that ‘My Hero’ was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song–and start asking artists’ permission in general!”

  - Statement from Foo Fighter’s public relations firm, Nasty Little Man

  This is not the first time this has happened, apparently.

  The band Heart noticed that its song “Barracuda” was used for Sarah Palin events without permission.

  John Mellencamp’s songs, “Our Country” and “Little Pink Houses” were used without permission.

  Jackson Browne’s song “Running on Empty” was also used by the Republican party without consent. Jackson Browne has even filed suit against the party as well as the campaign, concerned that playing the song at an Ohio event implies his endorsement of McCain.

  John Hall, a member of the 1970s group Orleans and now congressman, was unhappy with the campaign’s use of the Orleans song “Still The One” without his consent.
  (more…)

  Tags: barracuda, campaign, can't take my eyes off of you, congressman, consent, copyright, foo fighters, heart, infringement, intellectual property, jackson browne, john cougar mellencamp, john hall, john mccain, little pink houses, my hero, nasty little man, orleans, our country, rally, republican party, rocky theme song, running on empty, sarah palin, saturday night live, snl, still the one, to love honor and stalk, without permission

• songspeak

  We’re just Biden our time until the DNC

  posted by matt | 08.25.08 | permalink | comment?

  

  I can't believe it. It's really me. OMG!!!

  The Democratic National Convention starts this evening with a bunch of speakers, including Ted Kennedy, among other things. But last night there was a big kickoff concert. “Green Sunday At Red Rocks” featured performances by recording artists and environmental advocates including Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Sheryl Crow and Sugarland.

  Sheryl Crow dedicated Strong Enough to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, changing the lyrics… “Are you strong enough to be my man, or my president?” Dave Matthews performed an acoustic set with Tim Reynolds, still dealing with the sudden loss last week of his bandmate, LeRoi Moore.

  We’ll have to see which songs are used in the campaigns from this point forward. There will be plenty of pep rallies, and there will be many songs used. Hopefully, the campaigns are putting a little bit of thought into which songs are used.

  In 1984, President Ronald Reagan’s campaign used Born in the U.S.A. as its pep song. Many people consider it a song about American pride. Lyrically, however, the song is really about how the U.S. poorly treated (ignored) the Vietnam war veterans as they returned home. It’s one of the more misinterpreted songs of Bruce Springsteen’s career.

  Of course, besides picking a good song, the Obama-Biden campaign also has to figure out a way to make sure newscasters are getting the name of the ticket right. CNN’s Betty Nguyen had trouble with this the other day, the morning after the famous text-message/email from Barack Obama announcing his running mate. She referred to the ticket as “Obiden.”

  “I’ve got to stop you,” her co-anchor T.J. Holmes said. “That’s the second time you’ve done that, ‘Obiden.’ ”

  “I said ‘Obiden?’ Really?” Nguyen said.

  “You didn’t realize you said it, but… Obiden.”

  “It’s becoming a household name.”

  Tags: Barack Obama, betty nguyen, born in the u.s.a., campaign, cnn, colorado, dave matthews, democratic national committee, democratic national convention, denver, dnc, green sunday at red rocks, joe biden, obiden, president, ronald reagan, sheryl crow, sugarland, t.j. holmes, ted kennedy, tim reynolds, vietnam